Changes
by Abenakiwerewolf
Summary: Sitka is one of Johan's children. While running from her family's murderers, she stumbles across the Cullen family. Can she find it in herself to trust them and the werewolf who imprinted on her? Set after Breaking Dawn. Original Pairings.
1. Chapter 1

I ran and ran. If I could make it far enough I would be safe. My heart pounded with fear. I fell, a sign of my exhaustion.

The gray-cloaked vampires had come the day before. They killed Papa and questioned us. I shuddered, remembering the pain that the beautiful female vampire inflicted. They took my sister away.

As I ran the night turned into day. Birds began to sing. I hated them for their cheerful song. Didn't they realize that the world had ended? I hadn't agreed with my family on a lot of things, but they were all I had.

If I ran long enough, I could leave it behind me. A stream crossed my path. I didn't have time to hunt and I was thirsty so I bent down. After I slacked my thirst, I looked at my reflection.

I had deep blue eyes and crinkly red hair. My skin was flushed from running. I was the only one of my sisters who had a Caucasian mother. They all had native mothers.

My father was a vampire named Johan. He impregnated mortal women and left them to die giving birth to his children. Later he found them again and told us lies. Nahuel was my only brother. He lived with Huilen, his mother's sister. I envied Nahuel. He had someone who actually cared about him.

I got to my feet and started running again.

Two days later I had reached a rainy forest. I collapsed, this time I didn't have the strength to get back up. I dragged myself under a tree and lay there. The water soaked through my clothes. I didn't have any energy to cry. My eyes closed and I welcomed death.

I heard heavy footsteps beside me. A growl. I didn't bother opening my eyes. A howl split the air. Running footsteps, quiet ones.

"Half vampire. Probably one of Johan's kids." The voice was male, sleek and very vampire. My mind stirred. This person knew my father. I didn't care. I was too tired.

"Let's get her back to Carlisle. Maybe he can help." I was being lifted. I stayed limp, too weak to struggle. The arms were hard and cold, like my father's. Like the Volturi's.

The wave of fear was too much, I passed out.

My eyelashes fluttered. I opened them. I was in a room with lots of books and a wall of pictures. A desk sat in the corner. I was on a cot in the middle of the room.

A hand touched my arm. I shrieked and dashed into the corner, getting a wall behind me. I crouched, warily.

Four male vampires stood watching me. Something was off about them, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Two of them had blonde hair, one had black, and the other one had tousled bronze.

I crouched, quivering in fear. I knew that I couldn't trust anyone. My sister had told me to run and hide, that she would come back and find me. I knew this was a lie. I wanted to shut out the images, but I knew I couldn't close my eyes.

One of the blonds came toward me. I hissed, my eyes flickering everywhere. I was especially leery of the other blonde and the black haired one.

"It's alright, we won't hurt you. We just want to help." The blonde said. "I'm Carlisle, this is Jasper, Edward and Emmett."

I stared at him. I didn't believe him when he said that they wouldn't hurt me. Aro had said the same thing.

Edward stiffened and said. "Maybe Esme should try?"

Carlisle frowned. "That's a good idea. Esme!" he called. I jumped. "It's alright. I was just calling my wife," he told me.

A female vampire came into the room. "Oh," she said, "She's awake. How are you dear?"

I realized what the difference was between these vampires and the Volturri. They had golden eyes, not red ones. The female came towards me. I made a slight growl.

"Easy Esme," the lead blonde said.

Esme held her hand out to me. I looked at her warily. Was she like Jane? Would she hurt me? Edwards face was filled with pain.

Esme's smile was too kind to resist. I tentatively put my hand in hers. I realized that Esme reminded me of Lyra, my motherly older sister. Tears started to form in my eyes. Lyra was one of the ones that the Volturri had killed.

I realized that I didn't care if they hurt me. I had already been through so much. I buried my face in Esme's shoulder.

"There, there, shh, it's okay," she crooned to me. I sobbed. To the others she said, "What happened?"

Edward answered, "The Volturri found Johan. They killed him and some of his daughters. This one escaped. You remind her of her older sister."

I cringed away from him, how did he know this?

"It's okay, dear. Edward can read minds. That's how he knows." Esme told me. I looked into her light amber eyes. "What's your name?"

"Why does it matter? They're gone!" I sobbed into her shoulder.

Esme shooed the males out of the room. She let me cry myself out, patting my back.

"Sitka." I muttered.

"Sitka?" Esme said, "That's your name?"

I nodded, "My mother's and mine. I chose it after her."

"Did you know your mother?" Esme asked.

I bit my lip and shook my head, "I killed her." I braced myself for the on slot of blame, so it surprised me when she patted my head.

"I know. I guess it was wishful thinking."

I looked at her curiously.

"We know about you, because Nahuel came and defended our family from the Volturri. Edward and Bella had a daughter together. The Volturri thought that she was an immortal child. We had to prove to them that she was no danger."

"Bella, lived?" I asked, struck with wonder.

Esme nodded. "I can go get her if you like."

My eyes widened with fear. This was the only person who hadn't hurt me in a long time, and it looked like she wanted to leave me too.

Esme saw my expression, "I can stay here. Let me tell you about my family."

"Family," I sighed.

"There's Carlisle, he's my husband. Then I have several adopted children. Edward and Bella, Rosalie and Emmett, and Alice and Jasper. Edward and Bella have a daughter, like you, her name is Renesmee." Esme paused, "Then there are the werewolves. They are family too. Jacob is the leader, he imprinted on Renesmee. Then there's Leah, her brother Seth, and Quill and Embry."

"Imprinted?" I asked.

"That means that Renesmee is Jacob's soul mate."

I frowned.

"Will you tell me about your family?" Esme asked.

I started, "Papa was a vampire. Then there was Lyra, my oldest sister, Sam, that's short for Samantha. Then there was Melanie and me. Nahuel visited sometimes. I like him. He's the only one who understood." I paused, "Lyra and Sam died along with Papa."

"What happened?" Esme asked softly.

Tears started forming. "The Volturri came. They said that they needed us to come with them. Papa had told us about the Volturri. He said that they were the police of the vampires. But we didn't do anything wrong! Papa was out hunting with Lyra and Sam. Aro had Jane hurt Melanie and me until we told them where they were. We told them and when Papa, Lyra and Sam came through the door, they _killed_ them." My voice faltered. "Melanie told me to run. I did. I heard her screaming." I sobbed again. I didn't know I had any tears left. Esme patted my back and made soothing noises.

"You're safe now," Esme crooned. "I'm so sorry. In a way this is all our fault. If Nahuel hadn't defended us, then he wouldn't have told the Volturri about you. He told them to stop Johan but leave you girls alone."

I bit my lip. That was so like Nahuel. He didn't want us to be hurt.

"Do you want to meet the others?" Esme asked, "I'll come with you."

I nodded slowly. Esme got up, pulling me with her. We started down the stairs.

I cringed into Esme's side as I saw the others. "It's okay, no one will hurt you." Esme soothed.

I was still wary.

"That's Carlisle, my husband. There's Edward and Bella, Nessie's outside. Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett," Esme pointed them out.

I offered them a tentative smile. Alice came bouncing up to me. I cringed; she was so small, like Jane.

"I'm Alice, welcome!" Okay, she was nothing like Jane. "What are your sizes?"

I stared at her blankly. I glanced at Esme, confused. She chuckled, "Alice loves to shop. She wants to know what size you wear."

I was still confused. Why would Alice want to shop for me? What did they want from me? It's not like I would be staying long.

Edward's face was as confused as my own. "We're not going to throw you to the wolves." Bella elbowed him, he winced and continued, "It's our fault that they found out about your family. You can stay here as long as you want. And asking Alice not to shop for you won't work. The faster you accept it the sooner she'll go bother some one else."

Alice stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to me. I stared at her.

"But nothing has to happen right now." Esme said in a tone that closed the matter. "Sitka needs time to get used to things."

"Sitka? That's a pretty name," Rosalie said gently. Everyone looked at her in surprise. She continued, ignoring them, "Come on, I'll give you a tour."

I glanced at Esme. "I can come too," she said.

I nodded to Rosalie. She was the most beautiful female I had ever met.

They showed me around the big house. I took it in with wide eyes. I had used up all my words. I couldn't say anything else. They seemed to accept that and didn't pester me to talk. Finally we headed back downstairs, where there were sounds of a TV.

"Where's Nessie?" Rosalie asked Bella.

"Still outside playing with Jacob," Bella answered. She had red eyes, like Papa's had been. But hers were much brighter.

"Not for long, Jacob doesn't want Nessie to catch a cold, they're heading inside soon." Edward added.

A large man burst through the door, holding a small toddler. His size sent me into flash backs of Felix. I flinched, holding my arms over my head to fend off the blows. None came.

"Stupid mutt, you scared her. We had just gotten her calmed down!" Rosalie yelled at the man. She put her arm around me. "It's okay, he won't hurt you. I'll kill him if he does. I might kill him anyway."

I leaned into her, staring at the man with the toddler. He was huge. He was wearing cut off shorts and nothing else. His russet skin had droplets on it. It was raining outside. He looked surprised that I was afraid.

"Slowly, Jacob, you remind her of Felix." Edward said.

A growl came from Jacob's throat. I whimpered and hid my face in Rosalie's arm.

A tiny hot hand touched mine. An image of Jacob, laughing and playing appeared in my mind. I watched it without shock. Sam had been able to do that.

I turned to the toddler. She had bronze curls and rosy cheeks. I automatically adored her. I smiled.

I glanced at Jacob and the smile faded. He was sitting next to me. I moved over a little bit. He smiled gently. "It's okay. I didn't mean to scare you. I hate Felix. He hits on Bella too much."

He held his hand out to me. Warily, I put my hand in his. His hand was as hot as mine. It felt, nice.

We all settled down and watched TV. A documentary was on about the rain forest. I feasted my eyes on my old home and fell into uneasy dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

I was finding my way to consciousness when I heard voices.

"Poor dear, I hope she'll be okay." That was Esme.

"She was terrified of Jacob. I was surprised when she put her hand in his." That was Rosalie.

"She seemed to warm to Nessie." That was Carlisle. "Sitka is a pretty name."

"It was her mother's. She chose to be named after her." Esme paused, "Do you remember what Nahuel said? He said that they were raised to think of themselves as Gods. And they were taught that humans, including their mothers, were raw fodder. I think that Sitka's different. She said something about Nahuel being the only one who understood."

A cold hand brushed my cheek. I shivered involuntarily. The hand was quickly drawn back.

"I wonder if any of the werewolves will imprint on her?" Carlisle said.

I tried not to tense. I couldn't keep up the pretense any longer. I yawned, cutting Esme off.

The conversation stopped.

"Sitka?" Esme asked.

I opened my eyes. I blinked a few times and glanced at Esme. I smiled tentatively. Esme smiled back.

I looked at the others. Rosalie was smiling, like she was pleased about something, Carlisle's face was gentle. He wasn't like Papa, who was hard and cold, always pushing us. Carlisle was kind and gentle. I had a feeling he would never force someone to do something they didn't want to.

"Are you hungry?" Rosalie asked. I nodded. "Do you want to go hunting with us?"

"She might not have a vegetarian diet, Rosalie." Carlisle said.

I looked at him in confusion. He enlightened me, "We don't drink human blood. We only hunt animals." I gestured to my eyes. Carlisle nodded. "That's how we get our eye color too. Now, do you hunt humans?"

I shook my head. I had been violently sick the first and last time I tried. "Animals?" I shook my head again. "Human food?" I nodded. I was the only one in my family who ate it regularly.

Rosalie sprung up and blurred toward the kitchen. In a second she was back, with a tray. A bowl of hot oatmeal was there, with maple syrup and sugar on the side. I smiled at her. I felt like there was something missing, "Thank you." I said softly. Rosalie's expression was triumphant. "You're welcome."

I tucked into the oatmeal. It was perfect; the maple syrup was the real stuff, not chemicals and high fructose corn syrup.

Just after I finished, Emmett came running in, this time I didn't flinch. I had smelled him coming. Rosalie smiled.

"Edward and Bella back yet?" Emmett asked.

Rosalie shook her head. "Still, 'sleeping'." Since I knew that vampires didn't sleep I assumed that they were engaged in pleasurable activities. I glanced out the window. It was early dawn.

Alice came dashing through, her movements lithe, it was like she was dancing. She stopped and came over to me. "Come on upstairs, I've got some things I want you to try on," she trilled.

I was reluctant, but Alice was surprisingly strong for her size. Esme and Rosalie followed us up.

Alice had gotten me way too many clothes. I only glimpsed them on her bed before I was shoved into the bathroom. I was forced to strip and hop into the bathtub, all three gasped in pity at the bruises on my skin. I traced one of the marks.

"Felix." I said. All three women growled. I flinched and they immediately stopped.

I was scrubbed from top to bottom. Finally I was allowed out and was dried off with a soft towel.

Alice got out the underwear, which I dutifully put on. The rest was torture. I was shoved, gently, into many different outfits. My favorite was a deep blue blouse with a bright silk skirt that complemented my hair.

My hair was brushed and put back in a ponytail. They debated putting make-up on me, but my expression made them backtrack.

I was put in the blouse and skirt. Esme and Rosalie walked on either side, Alice fluttered behind and I was marched downstairs. I kept my face down. I still didn't really know why they were doing this.

Awed gasps came from the living room. I didn't lift my eyes.

"She cleans up good doesn't she?" Emmett drawled. Rosalie growled at him.

I raised my eyes. Four people I didn't know were in the room. They all had the same russet skin tone and black hair as Jacob. I assumed that they werewolves. One young man seemed to be staring at me. I met his gaze for a moment and looked away.

Renesmee ran up to me. I scooped her into my arms. "Nessie," I crooned. Rosalie and Esme looked smug again. I suppose that they were glad I could talk.

Nessie showed me what she had done during the morning. It involved a lot of rough housing with giant wolves. I smiled at her.

I concentrated. I rarely used my gift, as it was tiring, but I wanted to make her laugh. I pictured Jacob standing on his head.

An illusion began to form in front of her. Nessie clapped. The illusion-Jacob smiled and stuck his tongue out at her. Nessie laughed.

I smiled at her, hiding how tired I was. The illusion faded away.

"What was that?" choked out one of the boys.

"An illusion. It appears that Sitka has a gift that is similar to Nessie and Zafrina's." Edward answered smoothly.

"Sitka? Is that your name?" The boy who stared at me earlier said.

Edward gave him a hard look. I nodded to answer his question.

Esme told the wolves, "Come on, it's time for lunch." The wolves followed her into the kitchen.

Rosalie patted my shoulder. "Want to watch them slobber like the dogs they are? Or do you want to come for a walk with me?"

I gestured toward Rosalie. She hugged me and we walked out. I glanced behind me. The boy was staring at me again.

Embry POV

I followed after Jacob. It had been fun to watch Nessie beat him into the dust. _Shame Claire can't do that to Quill,_ I mused. I grinned, _that would be fun to watch._

When we entered, Jacob reminded us to not make any sudden movements.

"If I reminded her of Felix," we growled at the name, "you will too."

The growling was an oath. We all hated the Volturri with a passion.

A sound drew my attention to the stairs. Esme and Rosalie descended, with a young woman between them. Her eyes were down.

My world shifted. She was the thing tying me here. My senses reeled. My eyes eagerly sought out details. She had crinkly red hair, tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing a deep blue blouse and a brightly colored skirt. It smelled like silk. A random phrase popped into my head, _'The most beautiful thing on four legs.' _I snorted. That's what I get for watching kids movies with my best friend's imprint.

"She cleans up good doesn't she?" Emmett drawled. I wanted to punch him. She was gorgeous and he didn't need to be noticing that.

She looked up. Her eyes were an amazing deep blue, like a deep well that drew me in. She glanced at me and looked away.

Nessie ran up to her. The girl scooped her up and crooned, "Nessie." Her voice was like a bubbling stream. I could listen to that voice forever.

My imprint seemed to be concentrating. I blinked and when I opened my eyes, there was a second Jacob in front of us. The second Jacob was upside down, standing on his head. I glanced at the real Jacob. He looked perplexed.

Nessie laughed and clapped. My imprint looked ready to collapse. I tensed; ready to go to her, but Esme and Rosalie supported her. The image faded away.

"What was that?" choked out Seth. I frowned. He didn't need to act like it was something bad.

"An illusion. It appears that Sitka has a gift that is similar to Nessie and Zafrina's." Edward said.

"Sitka? Is that your name?" I asked, eagerly latching on to anything that had to do with her. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward glare at me.

Sitka nodded.

Esme said, "Come on, it's time for lunch." We followed her into the kitchen. I glanced back at

Sitka. She was so beautiful.

"Do you want to go watch them slobber like the dogs they are? Or do you want to take a walk with me?" Rosalie asked her. Sitka gestured towards her. For some reason this bothered me. _She doesn't know you,_ I reminded myself. She needs to be with some one she knows right now.

Edward followed me into the kitchen, Bella trailed after him. He cornered me.

"What the hell was _that?!_" he demanded.

"I imprinted! It's involuntary!" I defended myself.

"Embry, you imprinted? On who?" Seth asked.

"Sitka," I sighed.

A bowl fell on the floor. We glanced over at Esme in shock. Slowly she turned around. To my surprise she was glaring. I had never seen her look so angry.

"_YOU WHAT?!_ On _Sitka?_ Do you have any idea what that child had been _through?_ The last thing she needs is _you_ running after her and scaring her! If you make her upset, so help me I will _kill _you!" When she was done, Esme turned around and picked up the broken bits of the bowl.

We stared at her. Jacob snapped out of it first. "Well, you need to be more careful then usual, Embry. That girl is fragile and if you upset her, Esme will rip your head off. It's like Bella all over again." Bella elbowed him. He winced.

"I could never hurt her! All I want to do is take the shadows out of her eyes," I protested.

Leah groaned, "Great, we've got another lovesick puppy. And this one will be worse. She's actually old enough for him."

I smacked her. She smacked me back, and we did the standard 'girl fight'.

A gasp from the door interrupted us.

**I don't own _101 Dalmatians_, either. **


	3. Chapter 3

Sitka POV

Rosalie chatted with me. As much as you can chatter when one person won't talk. She talked about her car and how they would have to get me one. I shook my head. Their generosity was frightening.

Soon my stomach started making noises. Rosalie apologized and led me back to the house for food. I could hear scuffling noises coming from the kitchen. It wasn't until I reached the door that I understood. The fight sent me into flashbacks of Felix and Demetri killing Papa, Lyra and Sam. I gasped.

The fighting wolves froze and turned to me. One was the girl and the other was the one that had stared at me. I stared and then hid my face in Rosalie's shoulder.

Esme came over, "It's alright, they were just playing."

I looked at her, "Playing?"

Esme smiled, "Yes, playing. Would you like to meet them?"

I nodded hesitantly. Esme pulled me out from Rosalie's grasp.

"You know Jacob, that's Leah," the girl who was 'playing', "There's Seth, that's Quill and this is Embry," he was the boy who was 'playing'.

They smiled at me warmly. I smiled at them. They were nice; for all that they smelled weird. Edward made a choking sound.

Embry was staring at me again. I returned his look curiously.

"I'm not playing." I said.

Esme smiled and hugged me. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to," she told me. I could tell that she was glad that I had spoken an entire sentence, one with humor in it, nonetheless.

Rosalie came over and sat me down and got me food. I kept my eyes down while I ate. I ignored the steak and focused on the mashed potatoes. When I was done I wiped my mouth and looked up again. Everyone was staring at me.

"Aren't you going to eat your steak?" Seth asked. I saw Embry give him a dirty look.

"Vegetarian." I said softly.

"You don't eat meat?" I shook my head.

"Blood?" I shook my head again and made a face.

Embry was staring at me again. I saw Esme poke him, hard. I looked down.

A knock on the door distracted them. Esme went to answer it. I looked after her, anxious. "It's okay, I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you." Rosalie told me with a glare towards Embry.

Edward caught my eyes, "That's Charlie, Bella's father. He's human. Can you control yourself?"

I looked at him curiously. Control myself? I didn't hunt humans. I remembered the first and last time I tried. I hadn't been able to do it, because I was throwing up in disgust. In the end, Lyra ate him. She saved me some and tried to force it down my throat, I had vomited again. That had been the end of any hunting I might have done. Even meat made me sick, so I stuck to a vegetarian diet.

Edward nodded listening to my thoughts. "Okay, you'll be fine."

Bella went to greet her father. She came back with him.

"Dad, this is Sitka, Sitka, this is my father, Charlie." To Charlie she whispered, "Need to know."

This was my first time near a human to not hunt. I looked at him curiously. He had a curly brown hair with a receding hairline. A potbelly was somewhat concealed underneath the sheriffs jacket he wore.

"Hello, Sitka. Nice name." Charlie held his hand out to me. I eyed it cautiously. I put my hand in his, carefully. His grip was firm, but pleasant.

I smiled at him. He seemed to be waiting for me to say something. I remained silent.

"She doesn't talk much, Charlie," Edward said, saving me. I shot him a grateful look. "How's the fishing system working out?"

This distracted Charlie; he dropped my hand and began to describe it.

I sat still, not sure what I was supposed to do. Eventually we all went into the living room to watch a baseball game. I stared at the screen, wondering what the point was.

Embry sat down next to me. "The Red Sox's, those guys in the field, are trying to win, instead of the Yankee's, those guys that are batting."

"Bat-ing?" I asked.

"Yeah, they try to hit the ball with the bat, that stick." Embry explained.

I was still confused so Embry explained it further. "They try to hit the ball as far as they can. The longer it takes for the Red Sox to catch the ball, the more time the Yankee's have to run to the base."

I understood this part, "A race."

Embry nodded. "Yep. And if the Yankee player makes it all the way around the bases back to where they started, they get a point. We don't like the Yankee's, we like the Red Sox." Leah hit him on the back of the head. He amended, "Well at least some of us do." He grinned at me, "I support two teams, the Red Sox and whoever beats the Yankees."

I was shocked; there were more 'teams'?

Embry continued to explain what was going on in the game. Then he gave me a history of the Red Sox versus the Yankees. I didn't understand any of it, but he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Nessie crawled up onto my lap; I hummed to her for a little while.

As the afternoon dragged on, Alice left us and went upstairs to listen to music. I was surprised to hear a song that I knew. I sang the lyrics to Nessie.

"_I'm in the middle of Pennsylvania, and they stare me wherever I go, I don't think they like my hair cut, I don't think they like my clothes, I can't wait to get back to New York City, where at least when I walk down the street, no one ever has the taste to tell me exactly what they think of me._"

I realized that everyone was staring at me. I blushed. Nessie touched my cheek; she didn't want me to stop. I waited for another song that I knew.

"_I heard the sound of your bike, as your wheels hit the gravel, and then the engine in the driveway cutting off. I pushed through the screen door and I stood out on the porch, thinking fight, fight, fight at all costs. But instead I let you in, just like I've always done, and I sat you down and offered you a juice_," I changed 'beer' to 'juice', more age appropriate, " _and across the kitchen table, I fired several rounds and you were still sitting there when the smoke cleared!_"

Alice turned off the song, but I continued, "_And you came, crawling back to say, that you want to make good in the end, but oh, oh, let me count the ways that I abhor you. And you were never very kind and you let me way down every time but oh what can I say, I adore you._"

I kissed her as her eyelids drooped. She was asleep in a second. I sang anyway, I loved this song, "_All I need is my leather, one t-shirt and two socks, I'll keep my hands warm in your pockets, you can use the engine blocks, and we'll ride out to California with my arms around your chest and I'll pretend that this is real, 'cause this is what I like best_."

Nessie was out like a light. I stopped and looked up. Everyone was staring at me. I blushed again.

"You have a beautiful singing voice, Sitka." Rosalie said. My face was beet red.

Charlie groaned, "Seth, Leah, I told your mom that I would bring you home for dinner. She says you don't have a choice."

Seth and Leah sighed and got up. They followed Charlie out the door, waving to everyone.

"Time for dinner?" Esme asked. The remaining werewolves nodded. I followed them into the kitchen after laying Nessie down on the couch. Why couldn't I sleep like that? My sleep was always full of nightmares.

We ate dinner and headed back to the TV. I fell asleep during the game.

Embry's POV

I watched her fall asleep. Everyone had been shocked when she sang. She had the voice of an angel. It was also the most she had said in the two day's she had been here.

I watched her sleeping; she was curled around Nessie, protectively. All of sudden she whimpered. I glanced at Edward; his face was filled with pain.

I heard her muttering, "I'll tell you what you want, don't hurt me! Please, don't kill them, NO! Lyra, no, no, she's gone! Why? Why? What did we do? We didn't do anything! Please stop hurting me! Please, please!" Her body shuddered. She made a keening noise, "I ran, Melanie, but where did you go? You said you would come back for me. That's a lie! You're dead, just like Papa, Lyra, and Sam! I'm the only one left. All alone, all alone."

She whimpered again. I stroked her hair, "You're not alone. You have us, you're not alone." I whispered to her. Her face smoothed and she slept more easily.

I looked at Edward. My face felt like it was identical to his, filled with horror and anguish. This was what happened to her. She had been tortured and made to watch her family die.

Jasper shuddered. "That was horrible." I realized that Jasper would have felt her emotions.

"The Volturri took out their frustration on Johan's family." Edward said. He hugged Bella close and stroked Nessie's cheek.

We looked at each other in horror, the base ball game continued until Jacob turned it off.

**T****h****e songs are by my all time favorite singer, Ani Difranco. Alice is so cool, she must like Ani. The songs [in order] are _State Lines_ and _Gravel._**


	4. Chapter 4

I knew I was dreaming, but I couldn't stop the true images, they came in the afternoon. Papa had built us a house deep in the jungle. A knock sounded on the door, before we could answer it, the door burst open. Felix grabbed me and Demetri grabbed Melanie. They held our arms behind our backs. "Is this all?" a high reedy face demanded. I looked up. His face looked like paper, he had black hair and filmy red eyes. I knew him from my father's descriptions, Aro.

"_What did we do?_" Melanie asked, she was terrified, I could tell. I looked around wildly.

"_Where is your father?_" Caius asked.

"_We don't know!_"

Aro smiled and gestured for a small female vampire to come forward. I screamed in agony. My head was being split open. My body was on fire. I heard Melanie screaming too. Finally the fire was gone. I gasped; it was Felix holding me up. I vomited.

"_We'll tell you! They went hunting, they should be back in a minute!_" Melanie cried. The pain began again. We screamed in unison. We heard Papa, Lyra and Sam running towards our house. Lyra entered first. A vampire grabbed her and slit her throat, "_NO! Lyra, no, no, NO! She's gone, WHY?_" I screamed. "_We didn't do anything!_"

Sam was next. I screamed and fought against Felix. He hid me over the head so I saw stars.

"_What have we done? Why have you killed my daughters?_" Papa asked. I gaped at him; he was so cool and uncaring. Didn't he care about us at all?

"_You created monsters that endanger us all_." Caius replied. With that he gestured; Felix and Demetri dropped me and sprang at him. "_Run, Sitka, run!_" Melanie gasped as she shuddered. "_I'll find you someday!_"

I obeyed her without thought. I heard her screams behind me as I stumbled away.

The memory/dream skipped ahead. It was two hours later, I had reached Mexico. I sobbed to myself as I ran, "_I ran Melanie, but where did you go? You said that you'd come back for me. That's a lie! You're dead like Papa, Lyra and Sam. I'm alone. All alone._"

A voice penetrated my dream/memory. "_You're not alone. You have us, you're not alone._" I trusted the voice. I slipped into easier dreams.

When I woke up it was dawn. I kept my eyes closed because I heard voices. I identified the smells of Esme, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Embry.

"Well, we know what the Volturri did," Esme said in a low voice.

"I didn't like those scum to begin with, but they almost killed her! They killed her entire family! Can you imagine how hard it must be for her to trust us?" Embry said. I was surprised by the passion in his voice, why did I matter to him?

"The best thing for her is to see that we aren't going anywhere," Carlisle said.

"Poor dear," Esme said, stroking my cheek. This was beginning to become a routine.

"When do you think she'll be ready?" Embry asked, longing in his voice.

Rosalie's voice was gentle, "The best thing you can do for her is talk to her. Try to get her to talk about what happened." I held my shudder. "Just be there for her. That's all we can do. I have a degree in psychology; this kind of trauma takes time to heal. She watched her family die while she was being tortured."

A growl came from Embry. "No one should go through that. It's even worse that it happened to my imprint." Another growl escaped him. I whimpered, I couldn't help it. I yawned.

"Sitka? Are you awake?" Embry asked softly.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. He imprinted on me? All I really knew about him was that he knew a lot about baseball and he 'played'. I was too fragile to commit to a relationship right now, that much I did know.

I examined him with fresh eyes; he had black hair, chopped short. He was heavily muscled and wore only a pair of cutoff shorts, like Jacob. He had dark brown skin and deep black eyes. It was like looking into a bottomless pit, except that they were filled with kindness and worry. I smiled at him.

He smiled back, pleased that I had smiled.

The day progressed much like yesterday had. Alice had fun dressing me, it had taken an hour. She tsked over the state of my clothes. I had slept in them and she made comments about getting me PJ's and a room of my own. I didn't respond. When was their 'guilt' going to run out? When were they going to throw me out?

Bella and Edward came up to the house for lunch. Lunch today was a large soup. It was vegetarian, for which I was grateful. I tried not to notice Embry staring at me. _I can't believe he imprinted on me,_ I thought, _what is there to imprint o---_

I never finished the thought. Edward roared. I shrieked and dove behind Esme. Belatedly I realized that I probably should have gone behind Embry. This thought made Edward growl. I peeked around Esme, her hands were shielding me. Edward glared at Embry.

"What? How does she _know?_ Did we not all agree that we would wait until she was _healed_ for you to tell her that you imprinted!?"

I realized what Edward had assumed. I quickly thought back to this morning when I had pretended to be asleep. Edward calmed down, though he was still glaring at Embry.

"Forgive me if I overreacted. I think of her as a little sister," Edward said smoothly.

"I'd forgive more quickly if I understood what the _hell_ you were talking about!" Embry snapped, he was shaking. I flinched. He saw the movement and controlled his temper.

Edward explained to everyone, "Sitka was listening to them this morning when they were discussing her."

"I thought there was something off about your breathing," Carlisle said.

I stared at the room, tears pricking my eyes. I couldn't afford not to eavesdrop. I never wanted to be taken by surprise ever again.

Edward bit his lip. "Sitka, we already think of you as family. We're not going to turn on you. I promise." I thought of the promise that Melanie had made me. Promises meant nothing in this world. Edward's eyes tightened.

Esme turned and shook me, "Is that what you've been thinking? That we would just cast you out or hurt you? Sitka, we love you so much. You're a misfit in our family of misfits!"

I looked into her eyes, so desperately wanting to believe her. Esme hugged me. Okay, I'd enjoy this while it lasted.


	5. Chapter 5

Embry's POV

It had been a couple of hours. Esme had taken Sitka out to garden. Gardening was Esme's new thing. She could spend hours in her garden. Sitka seemed to enjoy it as well. She buried her hands in the dirt and seemed to take pleasure in the rain as it touched her face.

I went outside and sat on the porch, just watching her. _Jeese I was becoming a bit stalkerish._

Esme saw me sitting there, "Why don't you have a bit of a break?"

I could tell that Sitka was about to refuse, but she glanced over and saw me. She nodded and came over. I couldn't tell if that was a good sign or not.

We sat in silence for a moment. She kept sneaking glances at me and looking away when she realized I was watching.

"Where did you live?" I asked, trying not to put to much pressure on the past tense.

She looked sad, "Rain forest."

I nodded, "So the rain here is a good thing for you?"

She nodded, then frowned, "No Jaguar."

"Jaguar?" Fantastic! I had gotten a two-word response from her.

She frowned, "No playing."

"You would play with the jaguar?" I asked. Wow.

Sitka smiled. "Kin-kin and Forest."

"Those were their names?" I asked. A three-word response!

Sitka smiled and smoothed out a patch of dirt in the garden. She began to draw the forms of two giant cats. Her drawing was simplistic, but powerful. It reminded me of cave paintings. "They visited." Her face clouded, "Weren't there when---," she cut off, biting her lip.

"They weren't there when the Volturri came?" I asked gently.

"I'm glad." Sitka said.

"At least they're safe." I said comfortingly. Sitka made a funny hiccup noise and shook her head.

"Poachers. I stopped them before."

"Oh," was all I could say. Not only had she seen her family killed and had been tortured, but she felt guilty for running away and leaving her two pets in the hands of poachers. She needed real psychological help, not _me._

Sitka drew idly in the dirt. A face grew. It was very similar to Sitka's, the same hair fanned out around it.

"Mother." Sitka said simply before wiping out the image. I began to draw in the dirt. I had always been a talented artist. It was a thing I kept to myself.

I drew a pack of wolves playing with a jaguar. One wolf was nuzzling her. Sitka touched my arm, "Me?" she asked, pointing to the jaguar. I nodded. "You?" she asked, pointing toward the affectionate wolf. I nodded again, uneasily. Had I given away too much?

Sitka studied the picture. She added eight big human shaped forms and one small one. I could tell that they were the Cullens. She drew a circle around the picture.

"Family?" she asked, hesitantly.

I took her hand in mine. "Family." I stated. Sitka looked at me like she was sure that I was going to take it back and say 'Just kidding'. Only time would reassure her.

Esme called. "Come on, Sitka! Breaks over! Come out into the sunshine!" Since it was drizzling this was obviously a joke.

Sitka smiled and dragged me out into the rain.

I spent the next hour getting my hands dirty. Sitka showed me which things were weeds and which were actually tomato plants. I glanced up once to see Edward studying the picture Sitka and I had drawn.

Sitka had held a handful of dirt up to her face and buried her nose in it. She took several deep breaths. She sighed and held the dirt out to me. I looked at her, not sure what I was supposed to do. She rolled her eyes. _Great,_ I thought, _irritation!_ Not so gently she put her hands with the dirt in them up to my face. She held them there until I took several deep sniffs. She then gave the same treatment to Esme. "Good soil," Sitka told her.

When we came into the house were covered with dirt. I cleaned by phasing back and forth to get rid of my dirt. Alice dragged off Sitka to a bath. Sitka made faces behind Alice's back. I tried not to chuckle.

Edward cornered me. "Good job. You really got through to her," he said. "She's much happier."

I smiled, "Her happiness is what I live for."


	6. Chapter 6

Sitka POV

I had gotten better about using words. I didn't know why it had been so hard in the beginning. Embry and I became friends; I traded stories of playing with jaguars for his of playing with wolves. I was envious of him. He had had playmates all his life. None of my old family ever played much.

The memory of my old family and of their deaths had become not easier, but more bearable. My new family, was not better, but different. Some of those differences were better though.

Carlisle quickly became the gentle roll model I had always needed. Esme was the mother I never had. Rosalie, Alice and Bella were my aunts/sisters. Same thing with Jasper and Emmett.

It was more of a strange relationship with Edward. He was never quite a brother, but more like an uncle. He was nice and answered the questions I never said out loud.

Nessie was undeniably the little sister I never had. I had always been the youngest; it was nice to have someone to spoil. I sang her Ani Difranco songs everyday. She had gotten to the point where she knew all the lyrics to my favorite ones.

The werewolves were like close in-laws or cousins. They romped with Nessie and me. Nessie and I were definitely the playmates of the wolves. We had just enough of the vampire hardness to be able to play without being hurt.

My words were still incomplete. It was embarrassing when the Denali's came to visit.

Alice had gotten the vision a few days earlier so it was no surprise to us when we heard the car pull into the driveway. It was the first time that they had visited since the Massing. [As my new family called the witnesses that had come to defend Nessie.] Kate and Tanya's sister Irina had been the only one to die that day.

They knocked on the door. I stayed in the back, towards the wolves.

"Carlisle! Esme!" Tanya was a beautiful strawberry blonde. I had her pegged as a boy-toy lover. I'd hurt her if she looked at Embry. Edward snorted.

Behind Tanya stood Kate, and a man that I assumed to be Garrett. Behind them stood Carmen and Eleazar, who I couldn't see clearly.

They were all ushered in. Eleazar came into the light. I gasped.

_Felix grabbed me and hit me, holding me still as I screamed in agony. _The flashback sped up. _Felix dropped me and sprang at Papa. A sick smell filled my nostrils._

_"Run Sitka, run. I'll find you someday!" Melanie gasped at me. I ran and heard her screams. _

Screams. There were screams all around.

"Jasper get over here! Eleazar back up! You look to much like Felix!" I shuddered. "Good God, this is the worst flashback she's had weeks!"

Embry was speaking frantically in my ear, "Sitka, it's okay! He's not Felix, it's okay!"

Finally my screaming stopped. I sobbed into Embry's chest. One word, "Alone, alone, alone." Embry patted me on the back soothingly. Soon I regained my composure enough to shut up. I couldn't stop shaking. I closed my eyes.

"Carefully, Eleazar, we don't want to set her off again." Edward said.

I looked up fearfully, my teeth chattering. Eleazar looked remarkably like Felix. He had the same build and hair. His eyes were different, of course, but his face had the same cast.

"I'm sorry, little one. I didn't mean to frighten you. Felix is my brother. What did he _do_ to you?" Eleazar asked. This question brought on another round of hysteria that had to be calmed down.

Edward explained, "Sitka is one of Johan's children." I whimpered. Edward continued, "The Volturri took out their frustrations on his family. She was tortured and made to watch while her loved ones were murdered. Felix was the one who held her and killed her father."

I held in a sob. Eleazar looked at me with a gentle expression that had never touched Felix's face.

"I am so sorry little one. I'm sorry that I ever belonged to the Volturri."

I cried out and tried to get behind Embry.

"Sitka!" Esme said sharply, "Eleazar used to belong to the Volturri. He does not anymore. He left with Carmen."

I still glanced at him fearfully. Fears cannot be controlled, but I didn't want Esme to be disappointed in me. _Eleazar wasn't like his brother_, I reminded myself. I edged out from behind Embry. I looked up at Eleazar, cautiously; I reached out and took his hand.

I looked at Esme, "Family?"

Esme nodded, gently and came over to me. "Yes, Eleazar is part of our family. He is part of your family."

I looked back at Eleazar, "Sorry."

Eleazar looked hurt, "Sitka, I am sorry. Sorry that my mother never drowned my big brother at birth. I am so sorry for what you have been through."

I smiled. Eleazar wasn't Felix. He wasn't anything like him. Where Felix was hard and cold, Eleazar was warm and soft. I didn't have to be afraid of him.

For the rest of the Denali's visit, I back to one-word communication. My flashback had had its toll. I got to know Kate and Garrett very well. Garrett was funny. He often teased me.

Tanya never looked twice at Embry, so I didn't kill her. Carmen was very sweet and often spoke to me in Spanish. She asked many questions about the rain forest.

It was Carmen's mate that still made me uncomfortable. Eleazar was always careful in my view. He never made any sudden movements or startled me. Instead, he talked about his days with Carmen and how she rescued him from the Volturri. I wasn't sure how much of this 'rescue' tale was true, but it made a nice story.

Eleazar shared my love of gardening, something I never would have expected. He often joined me, and he held up the soil and sniffed it just like I did.

After a week, the Denali's left. Carmen, Tanya and Kate gave me hugs, Garrett tousled my hair and Eleazar gave me a kiss on the top of my head. I smiled at the Denali's as the got in the car. I had lived through, and even enjoyed their visit.

"Come on, let's go for a run," Embry offered. I ran after him, the smile still on my face.


	7. Chapter 7

Sitka POV

The next few weeks passed uneventfully. I was 'learning' to speak again. Embry and the pack played with me, I gardened, Charlie said hello. Basically this was the best time in my life so far.

Until Alice had the vision.

We were all watching TV, a standard Saturday afternoon; Edward and Bella were out hunting. Alice gasped; Jasper grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil and shoved them under her hands. Alice drew a face. I felt my stomach roil. It was Demetri.

"He's coming. He'll be here at the end of the month," Alice said in a dead voice. Her voice cleared, "I didn't see what made him come here."

They all glanced at me nervously. Embry pulled me to his side. I didn't show any emotion. I knew what Demetri was looking for. He was looking for me and he would kill my family to get to me. I tried not to cry. Was I going to lose two families? Wasn't it enough to just lose one? Unless, I tried not to gasp, what if I went out to meet him? He wouldn't get his hands on the Cullens or the wolves. I decided. I would go to meet my hunter to spare my family.

Alice gasped. Her eyes clouded and cleared. "Sitka, we won't let anything happen to you," she promised. I tried to play the part. I smiled nervously.

"How far away is he?" I asked.

"Right now he's in Mexico. We won't let him get you." Alice promised again. What was a promise? It was something you might mean, but in the end it was worthless.

I planned to go to my doom. I volunteered to go find Edward and Bella. My request was granted. I took off. Embry watched me go with a worried frown.

I took off in the opposite direction of where they were hunting. I ran south. It reminded me of my flight from my home. But instead of running away from people who wanted to kill me, I was headed to someone who wanted to kill me.

Two days later I reached Southern California. It was here that I waited. I knew that Demetri could find me. I waited.

He didn't disappoint me. I had my eyes closed as I sat on the rock. I heard him draw near. His excitement was almost palpable. A hunt gave him some sort of high.

I heard his ashy cloak. I opened my eyes and looked at my death. Demetri smiled.

"Well, we can do this easy way or the hard way," he said in a seductive voice. I exposed my throat. Silent tears tracked down my face.

"Family." I sighed.

Demetri came forward slowly. He wanted me to cower in fear and beg for my life. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. His mouth fastened on the side of my throat. I felt the venom shoot through my blood, even as it left my body. I welcomed the pain. Better my pain then my family's. I felt my strength leave my body and go into his. My eyes closed. Blackness came for me.

"I'll miss you," I whispered to my family.

As the blackness covered me, I heard a roar. My curiosity beat at the blackness so I could see what was happening.

A wolf leaped at Demetri. _Embry, no,_ I wanted to say, but my strength had fled.

Demetri dropped me to counter the attack. I fell, but was caught by strong arms.

"Carlisle, she needs more blood!" Esme called. My eyes fluttered. I gasped.

A needle poked through my skin. Hands held my wound closed and wrapped a bandage around it. I looked into the golden eyes of my family.

Embry phased and came over. He pulled on shorts. "Sitka, you're going to be okay!" he said, fervently.

_No I'm not. I'll never be okay if my family dies again. That's why I did this, so you wouldn't be hurt, _I tried to say. Edward growled in rage.

"Sitka, we wouldn't have let him! You are our family! Promise us you'll never do this again!" He yelled.

_Promises mean nothing,_ I thought as I slipped away into the blackness.


	8. Chapter 8

Embry POV

I never left her side. We had gotten her home. Carlisle had an IV stuck to her. He had gotten enough blood into her system to save her, but she wasn't waking up. Only the faint motion from her breathing and the beeping noise from her heart monitor showed that she was alive.

I thought back. When we had realized what she had done, Alice had gone berserk. "This is Bella all over again!" she yelled.

We had caught the plane down to Southern California. The entire pack had come. We phased just outside the airport and ran to the meadow where Sitka was meeting her death.

Demetri had bitten her. He was drinking her blood. I roared and leaped at him. My pack tore him apart while I went back to Sitka. Carlisle had bandaged her up.

I pulled on shorts and told her, "Sitka, you're going to be okay!"

She didn't respond. Edward growled, and yelled, "Sitka, we wouldn't have let him! You are our family! Promise us you'll never do that again!"

Her head rolled back.

"Sitka? _Sitka!_" I yelled.

I shook my way out of my memories. Tenderly I touched her cheek. Her crinkly red hair spread around her face, making her look even more delicate.

A change in the beeping made me pay more attention. Sitka's eyes fluttered. She looked at me. I grabbed her hand.

"How many?" she whispered, "How many of you did he kill?"

My eyes filled with tears, "None. Sitka he didn't even scratch us. You didn't need to do that!"

She frowned, "No one?" Her face relaxed. "I'm sorry."

"Sitka, being part of a family means fighting together, not alone. We would die for you, and apparently, you would die for us. We are a family."

I could see that she was still confused; I waited for her to speak.

"Papa always told us that we each had to fight our own battles," she protested.

I closed my eyes. "Your papa didn't know how a true family was supposed to work."

I kissed her forehead again. She tilted her head and sought my lips with hers. For the first time, we really kissed.

It was cut short by Esme coming in. She whacked me over the head and looked at me sternly. _Ow._

Esme directed that stern look at Sitka. "Young lady, if you ever do that again, I will kill you myself!" I mouthed, _She's joking_, to Sitka. She relaxed.

"I'm sorry, Mother." Sitka told Esme. Esme's stern face disappeared. It was the first time that Sitka had called her that.

Everyone flooded through the doors to scold and sob over Sitka. I was jostled but I never let go of her hand.

Sitka asked for a piece of paper and a pencil. She was handed a dozen. Carefully, she drew a jaguar playing with a pack of wolves. Thirteen big human shaped figures, and one small, played with them. She pointed to the picture, "My _Family_."

Epilogue.

It was a typical Saturday afternoon in the Cullen house. There was a baseball game on, Red Sox versus Yankees. Half of the family watched it and half pursued their own entertainment. Sitka laughingly sang to Nessie, "_Even when I am hungry, I travel alone. And the side of the house is where I feel most at home._"

Embry hugged his imprint and they laughed together.

Upstairs in his study, Carlisle heard them. Laughing, he examined the newest picture on his wall. It was simply done, in a cave painting style. It depicted a family.


End file.
